Canada’s auto union reached a tentative agreement with General Motors Co. that saves Canadian jobs and investments from moving to Mexico. Under the agreement, GM will invest about Can $400 million to upgrade its flex line and build a new vehicle in Oshawa, Ontario, and another Can $120 million in an engine and transmission plant in St. Catharines, Ontario. The agreement avoided a possible strike. The more than 23,000 workers at GM, Ford Motor Company, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV had made securing investment and production at Canadian plants the focus of their negotiations.
Tag Archives: labor laws
Writers Guild Accuses ITV of Violating Federal Labor Law
Almost five years after ITV’s Kirkstall Road Enterprises employees in favor of Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) representation, they still do not have a contract with the union. The WGAE states: “the company has engaged in bad-faith bargaining since that time in an effort to thwart its employees’ decision to unionize.” The National Labor Relations Board is investigation several charges against ITV. In a previous settlement with the NLRB the company agreed to provide the guild with information about the company’s health plan, as well as to advice employees that it would not interfere with their right to unionize.
“We are pleased the company has notified employees it will not violate their right to union representation,” a statement from WGAE Executive Director Lowell Peterson says. “We look forward to receiving the health benefits information we are entitled to review under the law. We remain utterly mystified that a giant multinational media corporation like ITV continues to engage in legalistic maneuvers to avoid negotiating a collective bargaining agreement.”
In the past few years, WGAE has made organizing reality TV a priority.
Are Native American Casinos Exempt from Labor Laws?
The courts seem to be split when it comes to whether workers at casinos owned by Native American tribes are protected by federal labor laws. On June 4 the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) dismissed a complaint against WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma, alleging that management threatened blackjack dealers who were trying to organize. A few days later, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appleals ruled that the NLRB does have jurisdiction to rule on a complaint against Manistee, Michigan, casino after the tribe outlawed strikes by workers.